Wishes
by MsWikit
Summary: While spending the night at the fair, the team makes a few harmless wishes at a fortune teller's booth. But when they come true, are they blessings...or were they better off before?
1. Seven Slips of Paper

Here's the new story I promised you guys! Hope you enjoy.

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"Guys, I love you – and you know I do – but I am so bored I could cry." Zatanna said with a slight frown.

The team had chosen this night as a 'break night.' Batman was off on a solo mission, leaving Robin behind for the first time in months. So Robin, resentful at being abandoned and knowing the team wouldn't be doing anything without Batman to give the orders, suggested they hang out together on Friday and relax. The team had liked the idea of just spending time with each other. Since most of them lived in separate cities, they didn't get to spend much downtime with each other. Red Tornado approved the idea and gave them free reign for the evening, but warned them they would be monitored wherever they went.

"Yeah. We should probably go somewhere." Wally was slumped in his seat, munching on a bag of potato chips. He put another fistful in his mouth. "Somewhere _fun_."

"I guess Pictionary _is_ a little dull." M'gann said, looking at the board games set on the floor. She thought this was a perfect opportunity to have a 'game night.' People had them all the time on TV. But unless everyone was invested (And no one was.) it wasn't very interesting. "But where could we go?"

The team paused as they thought it over. The Zeta Tubes enabled them to get to any part of the country – and a few foreign countries – within a few seconds. So travel was not a problem. Artemis suggested, "The zoo?"

"It's eight o'clock." Wally said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not in California." Artemis shot back. The speedster frowned slightly and slumped back in his seat again, disappointed he didn't remember the time differences himself.

"No offense Art, but if I want to watch a bunch of animals sleep and eat food I'd just go to a West family reunion." Robin said with a playful grin. Wally shot him a look and said, "_Dude_!" But Robin continued speaking as if he had not heard him. "I could probably get us into the Nike in Las Vegas."

The team regarded his suggestion with mild interest. Conner asked, "Nike? Like the shoe?"

"No, like the goddess of victory." Robin replied. "I could get us in. They've got everything there."

Wally leaned forward in his chair and smirked. "Isn't that hotel owned by _Bruce Wayne_? How are you going to-"

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas." Robin cut him off quickly. Before Wally could open his mouth, Kaldur broke in with another suggestion.

"We could go to a movie, perhaps." Kaldur suggested. "So long as everyone could agree on what to see."

"Oh! If we go to Las Vegas, we could see one of those magic shows!" Zatanna said excitedly. She grinned a bit. "It's not real magic, obviously. But it's still really fun."

The team began to debate the pros and cons of going to Las Vegas. Their mentors might not like it, considering what the city had a reputation for. Plus the only Zeta Tube was in the residential part of Las Vegas, and they'd have to waste time making the journey to the Strip. Finally Wally said, "Why don't we just go to the fair?"

"The fair?" Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. We have one going in Central City. Rides, food, games, booths." Wally shrugged. He usually didn't go to the fair. It wasn't any fun if you didn't have anyone to go with. "It runs till midnight. Plus we can't get in trouble for it." The redhead glanced at Robin. He knew that Robin could get in trouble for randomly showing up at the Nike with his friends, even though he was technically allowed.

"That sounds fun!" M'gann seemed delighted at the thought of going to her first Earth fair.

Conner shrugged. "I guess."

Eventually they all agreed that going to the fair would probably be the safer choice. The last thing they wanted to do was get Batman angry at them. Plus, Robin admitted that they might run into a bit of trouble if they went to the Nike. He wouldn't elaborate, but he said that some people would probably ask questions if he showed up unsupervised with a bunch of kids he seemingly had no connection to.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" M'gann hopped up excitedly. "Let's go."

"Hold up, I am so not dressed for going out." Zatanna stopped her. She paused for a moment, thinking. With a smile she lifted her palms up. "_Egndhc otni ym etirovaf tiftuo_!" Her clothes shifted form into a pretty pink blouse and a pair of faded jeans. Zatanna tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "Perfect."

With that, they headed towards the Zeta Tubes and transported themselves to Central City.

xxxx

The fair was into full swing when they arrived. They bought their tickets and headed inside. A vast expanse of booths, games, and rides stretched out before them. The team quickly split up to go do what they wanted. Artemis and Zatanna headed towards the booths to see if there was anything worth buying. M'gann pulled Conner aside to go to the games. And Kaldur, Robin, and Wally ran off to hit the rides. They each agreed to meet back at the ferris wheel at ten. That way they would still have at least two more hours to do something altogether.

By the time they met back up, Conner had won M'gann an armful of prizes over at the games. Zatanna and Artemis had each bought a few glow-in-the-dark armbands. Kaldur was partially supporting both Robin and Wally, as both of them had gotten sick on the last ride they were on. But both of them were still ready to do something with their whole team.

"So, where do we want to go?" Zatanna asked as she looked at her team.

"No more rides. Or food." Wally replied, cringing slightly.

"A sentence I never thought I'd hear from Wally West: no more food." Robin said playfully. Wally just elbowed him and rolled his eyes.

M'gann smiled a bit. "We can go just walk around, see what we find…"

"Maybe we'll find another giant pink elephant for Conner to win you." Artemis was looking with amusement at the largest of the toys Conner had won his girlfriend. She thought it was a sweet gesture…but it didn't change the fact that he looked ridiculous carrying it around.

Conner rolled his eyes. "Funny."

They went with M'gann's idea of walking around to see what they found. Their first stop was a booth selling cotton candy and ice cream. Robin and Wally passed, but they both got bottles of water to help them rehydrate. Afterwards the team made their way to another prize booth. Conner won something for M'gann. Kaldur decided to win something for Zatanna and Artemis as well since M'gann had so much. They both accepted their prizes with smiles and hugged him. Next the girls led them over to a booth that was selling superhero merchandise. Robin confessed he'd never bought a Batman shirt, and the team chided him jokingly for it. In the end both Robin, Artemis, and Wally bought something that had to do with their mentors. They smirked at each other as they walked away, laughing at the same secret joke.

"I spy, with my little eye, a small group of heroes."

The voice spoke loudly as the group began to walk away from the superhero booth. They each glanced around on instinct before realizing who had spoken. There was a woman sitting at a purple and gold booth. The sign read _Psychic and Fortune Teller._ The woman looking at them looked to be in her mid-forties. She had olive skin and long black hair. Gold bangles were on her arms and her bright blue eyes were fixed on them. She was smirking at them…almost knowingly.

"Do the young heroes want a free reading? Anything for the saviors of so many." The woman said. Wally rolled his eyes, but the rest of the team was moving forward.

"Why do you call us heroes?" Kaldur asked her suspiciously.

"I think we all know the reason for that, my dear." The woman said with a mysterious smile. On her booth counter rested an assortment of objects. A stack of tarot cards, a blue crystal, and a small ornate dish that had a fire burning inside of it. "Come; what can I do for you? A reading, perhaps?"

Wally smirked at his friends before stepping forward. "Yeah, sure. Me first."

"You are a non-believer, yet you have seen the arcane arts at work. Foolishness at its best." The woman smiled again and took his palm, ignoring the dirty look Wally was shooting her. "Ah, yes…you have had a happy childhood. Your parents are kind…you have a close relationship with a family member who is not immediate – an uncle, perhaps – and you are very intelligent." Wally looked slightly stunned for a moment before he said, "Lucky guess."

The woman chuckled lightly, running her fingers over the lines of his palm. "Now, your future…ah…I see greatness from tragedy. Friendships from childhood that will only grow stronger in adulthood…and a happy marriage." She looked up at Wally, her bright blue eyes meeting his. "You will have a good life, I am sure."

"Oh! Me next!" Zatanna stepped forward eagerly. The woman took her palm and began to look it over.

"You participate in the arcane arts too, my girl! Let's see…you have a small family…but you are happy." As the woman spoke, Zatanna's face fell. "In your future I see the sudden loss of a parent – but from your face I see it has already occurred – and I see you growing strong from it. You will be a great master." With that she released Zatanna's hand.

The other team members got their palms read as well. The woman told Robin that she saw a fight with a loved one in the future that would eventually lead to him following his own path. She told M'gann that her secrets would eventually come out and be received with compassion. Artemis was going to have to face challenges that had to do with her family, as well as her own secrets. Conner was going to meet his match and be faced with addiction. Kaldur was going to receive a shock, as one of his family members was hiding something from him.

"Thank you." Kaldur said politely when the woman was finished. "I suppose we should be on our way now."

"Ah ah ah…don't leave yet. Don't you want a wish?" The woman asked with a smile. She produced a few scraps of paper and a pencil. "You write down your heart's desire on this paper and put it in here." She indicated briefly to the small ornate dish. "The fire will help the wish travel to the stars, and perhaps be granted. You can ask for anything…even the impossible."

M'gann stepped forward first. She wrote something down in Martian and then quickly dropped it in the burning dish. Conner, following her lead, wrote something down and tossed it in. Kaldur was next. He wrote his wish down in neat Atlantian before carefully depositing it into the fire. Artemis and Zatanna both scribbled their wishes and threw their slips of paper in. Robin hesitated before quickly writing down something. He let the slip drop down into the fire. The woman stared at them pointedly. Robin elbowed Wally.

"Just write something so we can go." Robin hissed.

Wally rolled his eyes and quickly wrote something. He fed the paper to the flames without a second thought and steered his team away.

The woman chuckled to herself, watching the papers smolder. "And it is the non-believer that is the wisest…" She stared at the fire, repeating the wishes in her mind.

_I wish I was born a green Martian._

_I wish Superman would accept me._

_I wish Tula loved me.  
_

_I wish my dad had never become Dr. Fate._

_I wish my parents weren't criminals._

_I wish my family had never died._

_I wish for a lifetime supply of ice cream. _

The woman shook her head, chuckling to herself at the last wish. "This will be interesting."


	2. Early Birds

Enjoy this next chapter guys!

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"Time to wake up, bird-brain!"

Someone jumped on to his bed. Dick opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of – what looked like – an eighteen-year-old version of himself. The young man had spiked up black hair and blue eyes that were identical to Dick's. There was a piercing on his right eyebrow and a tattoo of a rook on his shoulder. He could have easily been Dick's older brother. Dick stared at him in shock. No; this wasn't his brother. This was his cousin, John. John. Alive and well, even though he'd died four years prior.

"_JOHN_?" Dick sat up, instinctively moving away from him. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

John stared at him. His pierced eyebrow went up in confusion. "Uh, you ok bird-brain? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dick's mind was racing. John was definitely dead. He'd seen his cousin fall to his death a million times in his nightmares. When he was nine he'd attended his funeral on a blasphemously sunny day. So how was he here, eighteen years old and very much alive? "You…you…you're dead…"

His cousin's face shifted from confusion to concern. "Whoa, Dick, calm down. You must have had one hell of a nightmare."

"No, it was…it was real! The finale was sabotaged by a mobster and Uncle Rick was paralyzed and-" Dick began.

"Ok, no more caffeine before bed. There is no mobster, Dick. We're all fine." John set his hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "Now get up. We've got a big day. Lots of sights to see and only six hours to do it." John stood up.

Dick slowly got out of bed. The room he was in was familiar. It was decorated with pictures, newspaper articles, and paintings done by his Aunt Karla. Everything he remembered was right where it was supposed to be. Still in a daze, he got dressed and got off the train.

Most of the circus folk were helping load equipment off of the other train cars. He spotted his father and uncle helping a few of the animal handlers get the horses off. His dad grabbed on to a horses' bridle as it pranced around, rolling its eyes and tossing its head.

"Easy girl, easy." His father said, stroking the horse's muzzle. One of the handlers hooked a lead to the animal's bridle. They nodded thankfully to the two acrobats before leading the horses off to be loaded on to a trailer and transported. Dick only stood there in awe. They were both _alive_... His uncle said something that Dick couldn't hear, and his father laughed in response. Then his dad finally noticed him. He grinned and yelled, "Good morning, son! Little J's waiting for y-"

Dick didn't let his father finish his sentence. He ran to him and hugged him tightly, wrapping his arms around him. This was definitely his father. This was no illusion. _His dad was alive_.

"Whoa," his father said, "what's wrong Dick? You're usually not so affectionate in the morning."

"I…I just…I'm happy to see you is all." Dick reluctantly let go of his father. "Where's Mom? And Aunt Karla?"

"They went to get refills on snack food." Uncle Rick responded. "Now, you should get going. Little J is waiting on you." He set a hand on Dick's shoulder and nodded in the other direction. Sure enough, John was standing in the distance with his arms crossed. Dick nodded and looked at the two of them again. It felt so odd, seeing them stand side-by-side again. Their family was an extremely close-knit one, partially due to the fact that his father and Uncle Rick were identical twins. From the moment they were born they were inseparable. His father and uncle were so close, in fact, they'd each named their only sons after each other. So Dick had been named Richard after his uncle, and his cousin had been named John after Dick's own father. For him, it had been great going up. But he'd come to accept that he'd just have to get used to Bruce's distance and Alfred's sense of decorum…

But did he ever really live with Bruce?

It seemed so unlikely that he'd just dreamt up the past four years of his life. But what other explanation was there? Suddenly Dick was beginning to doubt his sanity.

He said goodbye to his dad and uncle – he gave them both hugs, which surprised them – and then ran off to meet John. His cousin bopped him lightly on the back of the head as he ran up.

"Finally. Jesus, you're usually the early bird of the family." John said with a slight smirk. He began to walk off away from the train yard and the trucks that would take all of their equipment to the grounds. Dick followed after him.

"Where are we?" Dick asked, looking around.

John raised an eyebrow. "You're really out of it this morning, aren't you? We're in Metropolis. Remember, bird-brain? Next stop on the tour?"

"Right," Dick lied, "I knew that. I guess I'm still tired."

"I guess so." John looked at him somewhat doubtfully. "Well, come on. We'll catch a bus and start sight-seeing. Hey; maybe if we're lucky we'll see Superman and Superboy."

Dick stopped walking. Superman and Superboy? But Superboy didn't live in Metropolis. He didn't even work with Superman. The young boy's mind started racing…what was going on? It felt like he shouldn't be questioning this. After all, his family was alive. He shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth. But this wasn't normal. It didn't make any sense. Either he was crazy or…or something had happened. Think. What had he done the night before? A fight? A patrol? What…

"The psychic!" Dick gasped suddenly. He remembered now. The night before they'd gone to a fair and they'd come across a fortune teller. She'd read their palms, told them to make a wish. Dick remembered hesitating. There was only one thing in the world he wanted. Everything else was at his fingertips. But he hadn't wanted to write it down. It seemed…ungrateful. Bruce had opened his home to him. Gave him everything he wanted. Yet, still, he wrote down the words. He wished that his family was still alive.

"What psychic?" John asked, looking back at him.

"I…nothing." Dick quickly shut his mouth. Ok, so, his wish had come true. And Superboy's wish was obviously to work with Superman. What had the others wished for? Maybe they still had time to make this right-

_Maybe I don't have to fix this. _Dick thought suddenly._ So maybe I'm not Robin. So maybe I don't live with Bruce. But…I have my family. And I can still become Robin…I remember all of my training. _He looked at John. His best friend, his idol. Hell, they were practically brothers! How can a world where he was alive be so bad?

Dick couldn't think of a single reason.

xxxx

"Time to get up, Kon."

Conner opened his eyes. For a moment he thought M'gann was playing a prank on him. Superman was standing over him and smiling. But why would she shift into him when she knew how Conner felt about him? He frowned and said, "Why are you here?"

Superman looked confused. "Um, I live here?"

"You don't live in the-" Conner sat up slowly and looked around. This wasn't his room at all. This room was a bit bigger. The walls were painted a soft beige color. A black bookshelf was shoved against one of the walls. A trophy case stood opposite of it, filled with glimmering medals and prizes that were all engraved with his name. A Superman poster was tacked on to his wall. "Where am I?"

"Kon, are you ok?" Superman looked concerned. For the first time, Conner noticed that Superman wasn't in his costume. He was in a business suit. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I- no! Why am I here? Why am I not in Mount Justice?" Conner growled. He threw the covers off of him and got out of bed. Animal-like instinct drove him to back away from his look-a-like. "Where's M'gann?"

Superman looked genuinely confused. "Kon, relax. What are you talking about? The League doesn't use Mount Justice anymore. And who is M'gann?"

"M'gann…she's my…" Conner had never shared any personal information with his 'father.' And he wasn't about to start now. "It doesn't matter! Where is she? And the rest of the team? Aqualad and Kid Flash and Robin-"

"Well, Aqualad is in Hawaii with Aquaman. Kid Flash is supposed to be Central City while the Flash is on a mission. But I don't know who Robin is." Superman replied. "Are you ok? I think you had a nightmare, or something…"

Conner stared at Superman in disbelief. "_Robin_? Batman's partner? First sidekick ever?"

Now it was Superman's turn to look at Conner as if he was crazy. "Kon, Batman doesn't have a partner. He barely even works with the League."

"That's - that's a lie! Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad rescued me from Cadmus!" Conner snarled at him.

"Kon, the League rescued you from Cadmus. I was the one that let you out of your pod. Remember?" Superman looked genuinely concerned. "I think you should lie down. You can skip school today. Will you be ok while I'm at work?"

The young alien was still reeling from what he'd just been told. Robin didn't exist. The League had discovered him inside of Cadmus. No; it was a lie. This had to be a mind trick or something. Slowly, Conner sank down on to his bed. Superman frowned at him worriedly, but was distracted by the phone suddenly ringing. He went to answer it, but quickly returned and handed it to Conner. "It's for you."

Conner took the phone, ignoring the questioning look he was given. "What is it?"

"Good morning to you too, Supey." Wally's voice came through from the other end. "Out of curiosity, has your wish from last night come true? Because I've got a semi-truck sitting on my lawn and it's full of ice cream. Also, Robin apparently doesn't exist. At least not as Robin."

Suddenly Conner thought back to the night before. They'd gone to the fair…the wishes…he'd wished that Superman would accept him. And it had come true. "So…the others are…?"

"Still not sure. But I know where Robin is."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. It's your lucky day; you're going to the circus."


	3. The Hunters of Artemis

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter to you guys!

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As per Wally's instructions, Conner showed up at the Metropolis fairgrounds at seven o'clock that night. He met the speedster in front of the big top tent. The red head handed him a ticket and glanced at his watch.

"We still have about five minutes before the show starts." Wally said. "Ok; obviously this is some sort of trick or pocket dimension where those wishes we made came true. My wish came true, your wish came true, and Robin's wish came true."

"And what was Robin's wish?" Conner gestured to the circus tent with a frown. All around them people were streaming inside to find seats. Laughing children ran past them excitedly. A few clowns on stilts ambled past. "To perform in a circus?"

Wally looked at the tent, contemplating it for a moment. "Probably to have his family back."

"What? What does that have to do with-" Conner began to question Wally. He never heard of Robin talk about his family. Like the rest of the team, he just assumed Batman was his only family. But Wally acted like he knew more than he originally let on.

"Let's think about what we know." Wally interrupted. "What would the others wish for? M'gann is probably back on Mars, since no one remembers her…do you know why?"

Conner had a pretty good idea, but it wasn't his place to tell Wally. And he supposed that it wasn't Wally's place to tell him how he knew about Robin's family. "No. Let's just go get Robin, ok?"

They headed inside. Shortly after finding seats, the lights dimmed. The ringmaster took his place in the center ring and began an introduction. Conner barely listened to him as he rambled on, and he watched the first few performances with little interest. He was still confused how all of this connected to Robin. The night wore on, yet there was still no sign of him. Finally the finale – a family of acrobats – was introduced. They stood across from each other, three to a platform. A safety net was hoisted into place as the ringmaster rambled on their introduction. Music started and the family began jumping out on the trapeze as their names were called.

"First: the twins! John and Richard Grayson everyone!" The ringmaster yelled. Two men, virtually identical to each other, jumped out on to the trapeze. One of them jumped from his bar and grabbed his brother's wrists.

"John's wife Mary! Richard's wife Karla!"

Two woman jumped out next. The two brothers separated. One of the twins caught another bar with his knees. They each caught their wives as they swung towards them.

"Richard's son: John Jr!"

An eighteen-year-old boy jumped out next. He did a double backflip before allowing his wrists to be caught by his mother. She swung him on to the next bar. He caught it, then pulled himself up on it like a swing. John Jr. smirked at the ground and saluted.

"John's son Richard Jr!"

A thirteen-year-old boy was the final one to be announced. John Jr. flipped backwards so he was holding the bar with his knees. He caught his cousin and pulled him up on the bar beside him.

"…is that...?" Conner narrowed his eyes at Richard Jr. He was the same age as Robin, and seemed to have the same hair color and body type.

"Yup." Wally replied.

The family went through their act, which was mind-blowingly complex from Conner's point of view. Everything had to be timed perfectly or else it would go wrong. All of them had obviously gone through extensive training to be able to do this. For their last trick, they lowered the safety net. There was massive applause when they were done. They got off of the trapeze and the ringmaster began to thank everyone for coming. As people began to file out, Wally grabbed Conner and they followed the last of the performers out. The acrobat family disappeared into a small trailer. Wally waited for a minute, then knocked on the door.

The eighteen-year-old answered the door. He'd changed out of his costume and was wearing a T-shirt and a ripped pair of jeans. When he saw them, he frowned. "Sorry, kids, we're not doing autographs tonight."

Before he could close the door, Wally shot out his arm and held it open. "I just need to talk to Dick really fast."

"How do you know Dick?" The performer frowned at him.

The younger boy rushed over and pushed his cousin away. "S'ok, John, I've got this." Without another word he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

Conner looked over the boy, still not believing this was Robin. Like the older kid, he'd changed out of his costume for a more comfortable outfit. He had bright blue eyes and his hair was still damp with sweat. "Robin?"

"Hey Supey." Robin smiled slightly.

"…why are you in the circus?" Conner stared at him.

"I was born in the circus." Robin replied, as if this was completely normal. His teammate turned his attention to Wally. "Do you know where the others are?"

"My guess is that M'gann is still on Mars for whatever reason. Artemis, no idea. Kaldur is back in Hawaii." Wally told him.

Robin frowned as he thought. "Artemis is probably back in Gotham…"

"Gotham? Why Gotham?" Wally asked.

"I…not my secret to tell." Robin said.

Conner couldn't help but frown. Why did everyone on this team have secrets? And why did they tell some people but not others? It was so frustrating! "Either way, we have to find them and figure out how to fix this!"

"No!" Robin said quickly. Conner stared at him in surprise.

Wally frowned and set a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Rob, buddy, this is an illusion. I get where you're coming from. But it can't last and you know it."

Robin pulled away from him and backed away towards the trailer. "I just don't think this is all that bad. If all of our wishes come true, what's the worst that could happen? My family is alive! Sure, I'm not Robin, but…if that's the price I have to pay then I'll pay it."

"Rob, we have to fix this!" Wally protested.

The door of the trailer opened. The twins stepped out, scowling as one.

"What's going on out here, son?" John asked. He set a hand on Robin's shoulder protectively. "Are these two kids giving you trouble?"

"No, Dad. They were just going." Robin made eye contact with the both of them and frowned. The message was clear. Their teammate was happy with this warped reality, and he wasn't about to help them change it. The speedster and Kryptonian slowly walked away. The family watched them from the steps of the trailer. When they were gone, Robin's uncle looked down at him.

"Come on, Dick." He said. "We're all going for a walk. I think some fresh air will do us all some good."

xxxx

Artemis woke up in a crumbling old apartment building. She was lying on a mattress with nothing but a ratty old blanket to keep her warm. But it was better than the other people in the room. Other teenage girls, all dressed in orange and black, were asleep on the dusty floor around her. Some of them cradled knives or guns in their arms as they slept. As if someone might attack at any moment.

"What in the…where am I?" Artemis kicked off the blanket, only to discover she was dressed similarly. She was wearing a dark orange and black suit. A belt around her waist held an array of knives, pistols, and a few other weapons she didn't know the names of. She sat up and stared around the room, confused. There was a noise from the other side of the room. Artemis instinctively reached to pull an arrow from her quiver, but realized it wasn't on her back. She saw a figure moving towards the window. Without thinking she cried out, "Who's there?"

The girls around her stirred. Instead of turning on her, they rushed at the figure and grabbed them. Someone flicked on a light and bathed the room in dusty light. Six of the girls wrestled the intruder to the ground and dragged her over to Artemis.

The person was a woman dressed in a tight black suit. A whip rested on the belt around her waist. Her hood had a pair of cat ears and orange goggles covered her eyes.

"Catwoman?" Artemis stared at her, thoroughly confused. "Why are you here?"

"She was trying to steal our loot!" One of the girls walked over with two bags filled to the brim with money. She narrowed her eyes at Catwoman and threw the bags aside.

Another girl pressed her gun to the back of Catwoman's head. "Say the word and I'll blow her brains out for you, my lady."

"What?" Artemis realized that all of the girls were looking to her for orders. "I…no! No, you can't kill her!"

"Oh. The famous Tigress is developing a heart?" Catwoman purred. "How interesting!"

One of the girls punched Catwoman in the gut. "Quiet! You don't speak unless Tigress speaks to you first!"

Once again, everyone looked to her. Artemis was caught off guard. All of these girls were looking to her as if she were their leader. They kept calling her Tigress. Why? Finally she figured she had to say something, or else these crazy people would turn on her. Trying to sound as authoritative as possible, Artemis said, "Let her live." After a moment of thought she added, "This time."

The girls let Catwoman go. The woman stood up and brushed the dust off of her suit with a smirk. "Well, Tigress, I'm surprised at you. I've heard that your little Hunters don't usually let thieves live. Maybe you're not a ruthless as people say you are."

"Get out of here!" A girl took the gun from her belt and fired at the floor near Catwoman's feet. The woman smirked and made her departure out the window, disappearing into the night. The girl put her gun away and looked towards Artemis. "I don't know why you tolerate her insolence, my lady. She should have at least lost a hand for trying to steal from us."

"Um…remind me again…who are we exactly?" Artemis rubbed the back of her neck. Most of the other girls were settling down back into sleep, as if nothing had happened.

The girl raised an eyebrow, but answered her. "You are Tigress, and we are your Hunters. What else would we be, my lady?"

"And…what do we _do_?" Artemis glanced around at the apartment.

"We take what is ours. Or we hire out our services to those who are willing to pay for them." The girl smirked proudly, as if this was a great accomplishment. "Under your tutelage we have grown to be one of the most formidable groups in Gotham. Even the Batman cannot take us down."

"Right…um…I'm going to go…for a walk." Artemis said, slowly backing out of the apartment. The girl only nodded and resumed her spot on the floor. When she was out of sight, Artemis sprinted down the stairs and out of the crumbling building. She ran until her lungs burned and her sides hurt. Then she collapsed on to the curb, panting. "What is even going on right now…and who put me in this outfit?" Artemis stared at the black gloves on her hands, finally noticing there were small knives on her fingertips that could act as claws. "Ugh…this is so confusing…"

"Out for a stroll, Tigress?"

A shadow passed over her. Artemis looked up to see Batman towering over her. She sighed in relief and got to her feet. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I woke up in some weird apartment and somehow I ended up in this weird outfit…"

Without another word, Batman kicked her in the stomach. Moments later Artemis was on the ground. She felt handcuffs fasten around her wrists. "Hey-! What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?"

"You're a wanted felon, Tigress." Batman hauled her to her feet. "You do the math."


	4. Dangerous Magic

Here's a new chapter for you guys! Enjoy!

* * *

Artemis was thrown unceremoniously into the back of the Batmobile. Batman climbed into the driver's seat and gunned it without a word. His captive managed to worm her way into a sitting position. She struggled against the cuffs, but to no avail. When that failed she looked at Batman. "What's going on? Why are you arresting me? I'm not this Tigress lady! I'm Artemis! Remember?"

"No." Batman growled.

"I'm on the team! _I work with your kid_!" Artemis felt herself getting hysterical. She had no idea what was going on. Was she being framed? How did she end up in this outfit? Why were those girls acting like they knew her? Why was Batman acting like he didn't?

"I don't have a kid." Batman snapped. He glanced back at her with a glare. "Now keep quiet."

"Yes, you do! Robin!" Artemis protested. He said nothing. Now this was just getting ridiculous. He was acting like he didn't know Robin now, too? "Remember? Black hair? About thirteen years old? Makes up words all the time? Thinks sunglasses will keep us from seeing his eyes?"

Batman said, "I think you're confused, Tigress." From his tone, she deduced that he thought she was absolutely insane. Or on drugs. Or both.

"Come on! You hand-picked me for the team! You and Green Arrow! You saw me help the other kids and you came to invite me to join!" Artemis started struggling against the cuffs again. It did nothing but leave her wrists raw. "Remember? I thought I was in trouble because my mom used to be Huntress and my dad is Sportsmaster and my sister is Cheshire. But you said family doesn't make a person. You said you grew up without your family and you-"

He slammed on the breaks so suddenly that Artemis jerked forward and fell into the floorboard. While she struggled to right herself, Batman turned to glare at her. "How did you know what?"

"About your – _shit_ – family?" Artemis asked, struggling to wiggle into a comfortable position. "You _told _me!"

After a long moment, Batman resumed driving. "I know who you are."

"Then why did you arrest me?" Artemis demanded to know.

"Your name is Artemis Crock. Your mother and father live in an apartment on the north side of Gotham. Your sister attends college at Gotham University. None of them participate in criminal activities; I would know. I've researched them to ensure that they're not assisting you." Batman replied.

Artemis could only stare at him.

xxxx

Four hours after her initial incarceration, a guard pulled Artemis from her cell and informed her that someone had paid her bail. She was escorted to the front and found her sister waiting. When Jade laid eyes on her, she practically burst into tears and hugged her.

"I was so worried about you!" Jade cried, holding her in a vice-like hug. She looked at the police. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Without another word she wrapped her arm around Artemis' shoulders and steered her outside.

As soon as they were out of the building, Artemis pulled away from her. "I don't know what game you're trying to play, Jade, but this isn't funny. _At all_."

Jade looked genuinely hurt. "Artemis, please. Just come home. Mom and Dad are so worried about you! _I_ was so worried about you!"

Artemis stared at her older sister. Now that she really looked, she saw that Jade wasn't dressed like she usually did. Before her sister ran away, her style could only be described as 'punk', possibly bordering on 'hobo.' But now she was dressed completely differently. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was held in place by a pink scrunchie. She was wearing a white blouse with a beaded denim jacket over it. Her skirt ended just above the knee and was the same shade of pink as her scrunchie. She even had on makeup, something that Jade never had the patience or time for.

"What are you wearing? You look like Old Navy through up all over you." Artemis glared at her.

Her frowned. "Arty, don't be cruel." She grabbed Artemis' hand and pulled her over to a sleek white car. "Just let me take you home. Please."

Well, whatever her sister was up to, at least she'd gotten her out of jail. That had to count for something. Artemis sighed and got in on the passenger side. Jade smiled slightly and got in. She started the car and began driving towards the richer part of Gotham.

"Where are we going?" Artemis demanded. "Mom and I live on the other side of town."

"No you don't." Jade glanced at her, concerned. "The other side of town is dangerous, Arty."

"So? We're a dangerous family." Artemis frowned. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the window. "Mom and I still live at the old place. Apartment 4C on King Street."

"Arty, we've _never_ lived on King Street." Jade persisted. They reached an intersection and Jade reached over. She set a hand on her shoulder. "Arty, be honest, are you…high?"

"Are _you _high? Is Batman high? Because none of this makes any sense!" Artemis was surprised when she felt tears prick her eyes. She hurriedly turned her face away and wiped at them with the back of her hand. This was all so frustrating. Everyone was acting different. Everyone was acting like _she _was different.

Her sister set a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, Arty. We'll get you back on track. You can give up this whole…_Tigress_ thing. You can go back to school and we can be a family again."

Not a word her sister said made any sense. None of it made any sense. But Artemis had given up fighting it. She remained silent as her sister drove them to the richest part of Gotham. They parked outside of a brownstone apartment. Jade climbed out. Artemis got out after her and followed her up the steps. Her sister unlocked the door and called out as she walked inside. "Mom! Dad! I picked up Artemis!"

Her parents came out of the next room. Artemis stared at them in shock. Her mom was walking, and her dad was in a business suit. They both rushed over and pulled her into a hug. Artemis listened to both of them coo and fuss over her. All she could do was nod or shake her head when they asked her questions. Somehow she ended up in a neat kitchen with home-cooked food piled on to a plate in front of her. She ate without tasting any of it. When she announced to her family that she was tired, her sister escorted her up the stairs to her room. Not_ their_ room. Her room. When Jade closed the door, Artemis collapsed on to her bed and started to cry.

Had her whole life been a dream? A lie? Or was she just going crazy?

There was only one last thing left to try. Artemis asked Jade if she could borrow her phone. Her sister readily obliged. Artemis dialed Zatanna's number with a shaking hand. They'd become close friends ever since she joined the team. So close, in fact, that they'd exchanged numbers. If this didn't work, if this was a lie…they might as well throw her in Arkham, because she was going to go crazy.

She heard her friend pick up. "Hello?"

"Zatanna?" Artemis bit her lip.

"Artemis!" Zatanna cried happily. "Oh my God, Artemis, you'll never believe it!"

"You remember me…" Artemis smiled without meaning to. "Oh thank God…"

"My dad isn't Dr. Fate anymore! My wish came true, Artemis!" Zatanna told her excitedly. "From last night! That fortune teller we all talked to- she really_ could _use magic!"

Suddenly everything came back to her. The fair. The psychic with the piercing eyes. The wishes that they all wrote down and placed in the burning dish…Artemis struggled to remember what hers had been. Something to do with her parents. "Zatanna, something went wrong with my wish. My family is all…perfect but I'm a criminal called Tigress and Batman arrested me-!"

"Whoa, girl, slow down." Zatanna's voice changed from excited to concerned. "Now tell me everything that happened."

Artemis quickly told her about everything that has transpired the night before. Zatanna listened carefully. Telling Zatanna everything was difficult, mostly because she was forced to reveal who her parents were. But her darkest secret was met with compassion and understanding. Afterwards her friend advised her to just stay calm.

"I'll zeta over to see you. We'll figure this out. I promise." Zatanna told her.

xxxx

At a loss for what to do, Wally had dashed back to his home in Central City. He wanted to be angry at Robin. But somehow he just couldn't. He knew Robin's past and the pain that his friend went through because of it. So it made it hard to be angry at him for wanting to be with his family. They had been the most important thing in the world to his friend. Wally should have considered the fact that he might actually be_ happy_ with his wish. What if all the others were as happy with their wishes? Would any of them want to fix things?

When he arrived home, the truckload of ice cream was still sitting on his front lawn. Wally grabbed one of the containers as he headed inside. Running from Metropolis to Central City burned a lot of energy. He was shoveling the food into his mouth when he walked into the living room and sat down. His parents wouldn't question his late arrival. It wasn't a school night so he could use his usual excuse of 'Flash stuff.' Wally glanced at his watch. It was early morning. Nearly six o'clock. He finished up his ice cream and then went to his room. He collapsed into his bed and woke up a few hours later. When he walked out to eat breakfast, his parents had the news on.

"…Batman arrested the notorious Tigress last night in Gotham City." The reporter was saying. "Tigress, real name Artemis Crock, began her crime spree two years ago when she amassed a following of young runaway girls…"

Wally felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on his head. He looked at the TV. They had a picture of Tigress onscreen. She was a teenage girl around his age. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into one single braid that went down her back. A jagged black marking had either been painted or tattooed over her left eye. But there was no mistaking it. That was Artemis alright.

"…she was released on bail early this morning and is in the custody of her family in Gotham City." The reporter concluded the report and went on to talk about two children that had gone missing in Metropolis. But Wally didn't hear. He was already running out the door, bound for Gotham City.

He'd been to Gotham plenty of times, usually to see Robin when Batman was too busy to notice his absence. After a bit of research in Gotham's library, he managed to obtain the address. He raced towards the north side of Gotham and stopped in front of a brownstone apartment. When he knocked on the door, a pretty girl around eighteen years old greeted him.

"Oh…hello. May I help you?" The girl smiled brightly at him.

"Um…I'm here to see Artemis." Wally felt like he recognized this girl from somewhere, but he couldn't figure out where.

The girl's bright smile turned into a disapproving frown. "You aren't one of her criminal friends, are you?"

"No." Wally expected the girl to question him further, but she seemed to trust his word.

"She's upstairs with one of her other friends." The girl informed him.

One of her other friends? Who? Wally headed up and walked down the hallway. The door to Artemis' room was wide open. She was sitting on the floor and talking with another girl. Zatanna! He grinned slightly. "Boy, am I glad to see you two!"

"Wally!" Artemis stared at him in shock. "I…how did you…"

"You made the news. What the hell is with this Tigress thing?" Wally asked with a slight frown.

Zatanna had a large dusty book open on her lap. The pages were flipping by themselves every few seconds. She was scanning the pages for something. When Wally walked in she didn't even look up. "I'm looking for a spell that might have caused this change. Obviously the lady we ran into last night had something to do with it."

"Have you found any of the others?" Artemis asked, looking at Wally.

Wally hesitated, then nodded. "Superboy is living with Superman in Metropolis. Robin is…with his family."

"But Batman is acting like he doesn't exist!" Artemis protested. She rubbed her wrists slightly. There were still red marks from the handcuffs. "No one knows who Robin is."

"It's complicated. What's important is that he's not going to help us fix this." Wally crossed his arms over his chest. Once again, he tried to be angry at his friend. But, once again, he couldn't. The kid just wanted to be with his family.

Zatanna frowned. "That's…unfortunate. I love having my dad back. But…"

Both of the other teenagers looked at her with surprise. "But?"

"But there is powerful magic at work here. _Dangerous_ magic. I realize that now. Just look at what it's done to Artemis!" Zatanna replied. She looked up at them. "And if we don't stop it, things could turn out worse than before."


	5. The Gray Sons of Gotham

Here's a new chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I must go." Kaldur said for perhaps the hundredth time that day.

Tula let out a small sigh. She clasped her hands around his and looked into his eyes. "You are not Aqualad, Kaldur'ahm. I think you are confused. Perhaps you are coming down with an illness?" One of her hands went to his forehead. "Or perhaps you ate something you shouldn't have?"

Kaldur took her hands and held them tenderly. It felt so right to hold them in his own like this. Yet at the same time it felt all wrong. He loved Tula. But she was dating Garth. It felt as if he were stabbing his friend in the back. Worse still, he had no team. "Tula, I am not ill. There is something at work here. Magic, maybe…I do not belong here, I belong on the surface. With my team."

Concern filled Tula's eyes. "Kaldur, there is no magic at work here! Things have always been this way. Garth on the surface, serving our king…and you here. With me." She squeezed his hands and looked at him earnestly.

"If only it were true." Kaldur kissed her forehead. "I must go to the surface, Tula. I have to find my friends. This is wonderful." He looked around them. The city stretched out around them in all directions. It was beautiful. It was _home_. The sight of it made his heart swell with happiness. And then here was Tula, holding his hands, looking at him with love and adoration…it was all he'd ever wanted. Yet thoughts of his friends still plagued his mind. He missed them. They had become very dear to him, and he thought of them as family. Kaldur had a theory as to why he'd awoken back in Atlantis at the Conservatory of Sorcery. If that theory was correct, what had become of his friends? Asking Tula and his other Atlantian friends had yielded no information on that subject. They knew very little about the heroes of the surface. All he could glean was that Garth was Aqualad instead of him.

"Put these thoughts from your mind and stay!" Tula pleaded. "You belong here, Kaldur!"

"There is magic at work here, Tula." Kaldur insisted. "And I have to see if it has brought on any negative side effects…but if it hasn't…then I will return. Soon." He smiled at her. If this spell had no unsavory results…maybe it wouldn't hurt to let things stay the way they were.

Tula looked away. Finally, she sighed in defeat. "Fine. Go, if only to prove to yourself that this is the way things are. Promise me you will find Garth and our king before you go off on this crazy journey." She set her hand on his cheek and kissed him tenderly. "Travel safely and return home soon, Kaldur."

Her kiss made his heart leap. He smiled and returned it. "I love you."

"And I love you." Tula hugged him close, wrapping her arms around his neck. They relished in each other's embrace for a few moments. Then Kaldur was forced to break away and swim off. He could feel her eyes on him as he swam away.

The zeta tubes would not recognize him, so Kaldur was forced to make the journey to the surface the old-fashioned way. He stumbled on to one of the beaches of Hawaii an hour later, sore from his journey. He made his way to his king's base of operations on the surface. When he arrived, he was greeted by a very surprised Garth.

"Kaldur! What are you doing here?" Garth asked after their initial greeting.

"It is a long story, my friend." Kaldur sat down in the nearest chair. The effects of his journey were taking their toll on him. He felt sore all over. "I need to speak with our king and use the zeta tubes."

Garth stared at him. "The zeta tubes? Why? Where do you need to go?"

"I…" Kaldur began. At that moment, the zeta tube within Aquaman's base announced the arrival of Kid Flash, Zatanna, and a guest. Both of them looked up as the three walked in. A smile spread across his face. "My friends! It is good to see you."

"You know them?" Garth asked, now extremely confused. "How did you meet?"

"We met through hero business." Wally replied. "You know, his whole Aqualad gig…and you are…?"

"Aqualad." Garth frowned slightly and crossed his arms. "What is going on here? Kaldur'ahm has never been Aqualad."

The three looked at each other, then at Kaldur. He knew they were all wondering what he wished for to cause this change. After a moment they turned their attention to Garth. All of them were mentally debating whether or not to go into the story.

"Oh, we don't have time for this!" Zatanna cried, exasperated. "Siloportem ot rudlak dna su ekat!"

There was a flash of light. Kaldur felt as if he had been thrown into the air. Colors and sounds whirled around him in a cyclone. Finally he was thrown down on to the concrete. His teammates were on the ground beside him. They slowly began to get up, staggering from dizziness. Zatanna shook as she tried to stand. Fighting off his own feelings, Kaldur helped her to her feet.

"You ok?" Artemis asked her.

"Yeah." Zatanna set her hand on Kaldur's shoulder to steady herself. "I've never teleported so many people this far before…it took a lot out of me. I just need to breathe for a second…"

They led her to a bus bench and let her sit down. While she recovered, Artemis and Wally filled Kaldur in on their current situation.

"As far as we can tell, M'gann is on Mars." Wally explained. "Conner is here in Metropolis, living with Superman. Robin is with his family, and he's refusing to help fix this. Artemis is apparently a felon named Tigress who has a cult following, Zatanna's dad buried the Doctor Fate helmet in the corn field, I have a truckload of ice cream on my front lawn, and you…?"

"I was back in Atlantis, continuing my studies at the Conservatory of Sorcery." Kaldur replied, reluctant to admit what he had wished for.

"Your wish was to go back to Atlantis?" Artemis frowned at him.

"I…not exactly. It is rather complicated." Kaldur looked away. "The important thing is that we fix whatever damage has been done."

Someone behind him cackled. The group turned to see the psychic from the fair standing in front of them. She smiled knowingly at them. "Your wishes aren't at all what you'd thought they'd be, are they?"

"What did you do?" Wally demanded, advancing on her. "Fix this!"

"I'm afraid I can't." The mysterious fortune teller shook her head. "Not yet, anyway. Your friends have yet to learn their lessons."

This answer didn't satisfy Wally. He tried to leap at her, but the woman vanished with a laugh. His arms wrapped around nothing but air. The speedster fell on to his stomach and gritted his teeth.

"Learn our lesson? What does that even mean?" Artemis threw her hands up in disgust and sat down on the bench beside Zatanna. She put her head in her hands, obviously upset.

Kaldur frowned. "I believe it means things are only going to get worse from here."

xxxx

Dick felt as if his head were on fire. The rest of his body felt like it was made of lead. His arms and legs were heavy and it took great effort to lift them. All of his thoughts were slow and sleepy. But some instinct in the back of his mind told him he had to rouse himself. Something was wrong. He had to think. With effort, Dick opened his eyes. He was in a room he didn't recognize. It looked old. Very old. The walls were made of crumbling stone. An iron door was the only way in or out, from the looks of things. Dick's hands were raised above him, chained to the wall at the wrist. His cousin was beside him. His wrists were chained to the wall as well. His head lolled to the side, but Dick could see his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

Where were they? What happened?

He tried to think. There was a show…Wally and Conner had shown up…Dick had turned them down…then he and his family had gone for a walk…

And then…and then…

A man. A man had stepped out in front of them. He'd said something. What did he say?

"It is time for you two to face your destiny."

Then…his father had hit him.

No, that couldn't be right. Why would his father hit him? But the more he thought about it, the more he knew it to be true. His father had hit him and knocked him off his feet. He had only looked up at him, stunned. Then everything went black.

Whatever had happened, Dick was going to find out. But first he had to escape.

"John." Dick looked at his cousin. Even speaking required effort. Someone must have drugged him while he was out. What else could make him this lethargic? "John, wake up. You need to wake up."

His cousin didn't stir. With great effort, Dick moved his leg and managed to kick him lightly. Finally John opened his eyes. He looked around with a dazed look on his face. When he finally saw Dick he asked, "Where are we?"

"Not sure." Dick replied. He instinctively glanced down for his belt. He always kept tools for this sort of situation on hand. For a moment he couldn't remember why his belt wasn't there. Dick cursed himself for not being prepared and looked at his cousin. There were ways for him to get out of the restraints. One way was to break his wrists and slip them out. But was he really that desperate? And then how was he going to get his cousin out?

John appeared to slip back into unconsciousness while Dick pondered this out. He tried to kick his cousin again, but he seemed devoid of energy. He rested his chin against his chest. Suddenly Dick felt too tired to even keep his head up. All he wanted to do was sleep…

And then the door opened. Flickering orange light filled their small cell. Dick looked up. Whoever had entered was holding a torch out in front of them. The sudden light made it difficult for Dick to see who it was. They walked over and unlocked the cuffs around his wrists. Dick wanted to seize the opportunity to attack, but his arms fell down to his sides as if they were made of stone. The person grabbed him by his shirt collar and hauled him to his feet. He tried to hit them, but his body wouldn't respond. It took effort to walk beside the man.

"One foot in front of the other, cousin." The man said. He was holding Dick's arm now and keeping him on his feet. "The drug's effects will go away in time. We just needed you two docile."

The man escorted him down a long, narrow hallway. The stonework looked extremely old. Dick figured that, wherever he was, it had to have been built more than a hundred years ago. He tried to recall what the oldest buildings in Metropolis were, but his mind was still moving at a sluggish pace. He barely noticed they'd entered a new room until he was shoved down into a chair. He looked around at his surroundings. The room, of course, was made of stone. Torches were mounted on the walls to provide light. He was seated at a long mahogany table. John sank down into the chair beside him. Dick hadn't even realized that his cousin had been pulled from their cell as well. He felt another shiver of fear. These drugs were messing with his mind and his body. It was like he wasn't in control of himself.

The table was set for an elaborate dinner. People filled the table. All of them were dressed formally. But Dick couldn't see any of their faces. They were all covered by white masks. The faces on the masks vaguely reminded him of some type of bird…a barn owl, maybe? The only person not wearing a mask sat at the head of the table. His brown hair was neatly combed for the occasion and he was wearing an expensive suit. Dick noticed his face was covered with scars. A small smirk was on the man's face.

"It's been so long since we have had my kin sitting at this table with us." The scarred man said. With a small jolt, Dick realized this was the man they'd seen when they were out for their walk. "They still seem a bit disoriented, however. That will never do. I want them wide awake for this."

The man gestured towards Dick and his cousin. Without warning, someone came up from behind him and grabbed him. He felt a syringe stab into the side of his neck and gritted his teeth. Whatever they injected into him burned as it began to move through his bloodstream. The grip on the back of his neck subsided and the syringe was pulled away.

"Please, eat. Drink." The man said to them.

Dick looked down at his plate skeptically. They'd prepared a steak for him. It had some sort of sauce poured over it with some assorted vegetables on the side. Everyone else at the table (All of them adults) had wine in their glasses. Dick and his cousin had water. He averted his eyes from his meal and glared at the man.

"Really, Richard; we've already drugged you once. Why would we bother drugging your food? I've already said I want you coherent for this." The man spoke again, a grin sliding on to his scarred face. "Trust me."

He didn't trust this man at all, but what he said made sense. He sipped at the water and then cut into his steak. John was eating without reservation. No one else touched their food. Dick briefly wondered why they all had food if they couldn't eat it with the masks on. All they seemed to do was watch him and his cousin.

Slowly, the effects of the drugs began to wear off. When he cut his food with his knife it was no longer difficult. His mind became unclouded. He began to take note of all the things he hadn't noticed before. The fireplace at the end of the room with a painting of an owl mounted over it. The four teenagers standing in the shadows. Scars on the hands of almost all of the people sitting at the table. He began to see all of the little things that only the observant would be able to catch.

When Dick and John finished their meals, the man spoke again. "There now…feeling better?"

"Who are you?" Dick demanded at once. "Where are our parents?"

The man smirked again. "They're all around you, my boy. Your parents no longer exist. Metaphorically speaking, of course. They are alive, so no need to look so enraged. I expect you'll be able to see them again sometime next year if all goes well. But from now on, the Court will be your family. As it always has been." He leaned back in his chair, completely at ease. "As for who I am…my name is William Cobb."

"Where are we?" John glared at him. "Why are we here?"

"You are in the bowels of Gotham, and you are here because it is your destiny." William sipped his wine, looking at the boys all the while. "I'm assuming your parents have not told you about your illustrious heritage. My grandsons, I'm afraid, are a disappointment. They had promise. But they chose to turn away from who they are. And who you are."

"Who we are?" Dick repeated skeptically.

"Yes. In a city like Gotham, there are only two types of people. The good and the bad. The vicar and the murderer. The black and the white." William stood, still looking at Dick and his cousin. "But you, my boys, are the gray sons of Gotham. You are meant to keep peace from the shadows, to protect Gotham by any means necessary. You were _bred_ for this."

The gray sons of Gotham. Grayson. Dick felt a shudder go down his spine.


	6. Change in the Playing Field

Hi guys! Sorry this chapter took so long. There's no real reason for the delay. I'm just being lazy this summer.

* * *

The whip fell across his back again. Another thin line of pain opened on his skin , bleeding and raw. He screamed again and pressed his forehead against the whipping post. Nothing existed but the fiery pain that lashed across his back. Blood was rolling down his back in thick droplets. Dick wanted to beg them to stop. In truth, he had no idea why they were doing this. After the dinner he had been dragged away from the others and away from his cousin. They'd torn off his shirt and tied him to a whipping post. Dick wasn't sure if that was ten minutes ago or ten hours ago, but it felt like an eternity. He tried to think about something else. Anything else. But every time the whip came down he would feel the pain again.

_Focus on something. Anything! _Dick told himself. He fumbled with the mental exercises Bruce had taught him. Finally, he latched on to the simplest one: pick something and just focus on it. Block out any other sensation, any other emotion. He chose all of the codes that Bruce had taught him. Every single override, every emergency protocol. Dick ran them over in his mind. The ones for the cave, the ones for the manor, the ones for Wayne Industries, the ones for the Justice League's computer system, the one's for Mount Justice…he thought of them all and their purposes, repeating them to himself in his mind. And suddenly the pain didn't exist anymore. It was just numbers and letters and the magic they could perform.

"Very good, Richard. _Very _good."

The bonds tying him to the whipping post were cut. Dick looked around, confused. William had entered the room.

"You figured it out much faster than your father or uncle did." William offered his hand to help Dick up. The boy glared at him and stood on his own. His back cried out in protest and he gripped the post. William smirked. "Or do you know what you did right?"

"I didn't scream?" Dick ventured.

"You didn't feel the pain." William clarified, an odd light dancing in his eye. "You've taken your first step to becoming a talon. Over the next few months you will be tortured and starved, driven to the brink of madness…but when you come out, you will be a new person. A better one."

"A talon?" Dick was getting very irritated. He had no idea what this man was going on about. All he wanted to do was find his cousin and leave. "Start making some sense. Now."

William nodded once. "I suppose you've earned an explanation. Come."

Reluctantly, Dick followed him out. They moved down a stone hallway to a small, lavishly furnished room. William sank into an armchair and gestured for Dick to take a seat in the chair across from him. Slowly, Dick obeyed. The lashes on his back proved incredibly painful. He eased himself into the chair with a grimace on his face.

"You, Richard, are going to be a fourth generation talon. You see, your great-grandfather was brought into the talons in the late nineteenth century. He was a broken, shell of a man. But the Court made him into a trained assassin." William explained. As he spoke, one of the teenagers Dick had seen earlier walked in. She set a silver tray down on the small table. Her hair was disheveled and dirty. Open wounds were visible on her face, neck, hands, and arms. She was obviously malnourished. After pouring them both cups of tea, she bowed respectfully to William and walked out. William continued after sampling his drink. "Your grandfather was raised in Haly's Circus, where you great-grandfather had been employed in his boyhood. After being trained in acrobatics, he was brought to the Court of Owls and made into a talon. Your grandmother was a talon as well. Together they had your father and uncle. After completing their training they chose against being talons and ran off with two other prospects- your mother Mary and your aunt Karla. They, of course, went to one of the Haly family for protection. I found them and made them a deal. They would be allowed to live their lives without interference so long as the Court would be able to train and keep any of their children as talons."

The weight of his words sank in. Dick's parents had sold him into this life before he was even born. Slowly, it dawned on him that if he had not gone with Bruce…_this_ would be is fate.

"And what are talons, exactly? What is the Court?" Dick asked. He didn't want to believe this was true. This had to be some nightmarish thing the fortune teller had made up. This couldn't really be his heritage.

"The Court of Owls, Richard, is Gotham's protection. When this city was founded in the eighteenth century, its sigil was an owl. The settlers picked this place to build because they saw an owl sitting out in broad daylight. They took it as a sign from God that this area was where they were meant to settle." William continued. "The families created a provisional government called the Court of Owls. It was, of course, done away with once the people gained a foothold in the new land. But not entirely. Some of the families continued the Court, becoming a sort of secret police. Keeping the peace in a city that was rapidly being destroyed by the corruption of the Cobblepots and the Waynes."

Dick frowned. None of this added up. "Then where have you been? Why did Batman have to take over?"

"We were asleep, Richard. And that's all you'll know at this time." William replied. "The Court is rebuilding itself. You are the future of this organization. When you are a talon, you will thank me. After your training you will feel no pain. You will know no fear. Hunger will never bother you. And after the final ceremony, you will be invincible. You have shown promise today. I think I will go as far as to make you my heir."

He said this as if he was bestowing a great honor on to the young boy. Dick only glared at him. "Why make _me _your heir?"

"Think, dear boy; I know how smart you are." William replied. He sipped his tea and waited for Dick to put two and two together.

So Dick thought. He analyzed his memories. After pondering over everything that had happened – from his abduction to this conversation – the pieces began to fall together.

"_One foot in front of the other, cousin…"_

"_It's been so long since we have had my kin sitting at this table with us."_

"_You were bred for this."_

"_We were asleep…"_

"You want to make me your heir…because I'm your grandson?" Dick repeated, not wanting to believe it.

"_Great_-grandson. But close enough."

xxxx

"We need to contact M'gann." Conner told them stubbornly.

His teammates looked at each other. They knew he was right. Robin and M'gann were the only ones they were missing. And since Robin had made it clear he wasn't going to help, M'gann was the last one they needed to find. But contacting Mars was easier said than done. The best way would be to use League technology or speak to Martian Manhunter. Getting clearance to use that equipment would be an uphill battle. It would be easier if they had Robin. He could hack anything that got in their way. But since he had refused to help them, they were on their own.

"How, though?" Zatanna asked.

"We're going to have to convince the League to give us access." Kaldur finally answered. "But what do we tell them?"

The group fell silent, pondering their chances.

Artemis suggested, "They probably aren't using the mountain. It wasn't redone until the team came along, right?"

"There might still be some working tech there, and it will be mostly unguarded!" Wally continued, a grin spreading across his face. "But how do we get in? We wouldn't have clearance."

Zatanna set a hand on Artemis' shoulder. "Think you can get those Hunters of yours to do a bit of dirty work for us?"

They all looked at her hopefully. None of them wanted to involve them. But Artemis was the only one they would listen to. After a few minutes of convincing, Artemis gave in. So they set up their plan. Zatanna would take Artemis back to Gotham in order to retrieve her Hunters. They would meet back up with the group in Happy Harbor. Once there, Kaldur would help coordinate the break-in into the mountain. Then, with any luck, Wally could get the communications tech up and running.

"We better get a move on, then. The police will be looking for all of those Hunters." Zatanna said, looking at Artemis. "I think I have enough energy and magic to teleport us…but I'll be worn out afterwards."

"Be safe." Kaldur bid them farewell as the two girls stood together.

"Mahtog ot su tropelet!" Zatanna cried. And just like that, the two girls disappeared.

Wally turned towards his two friends. "I'm going to dash to Metropolis…maybe I can convince Robin to help us. I doubt it, but there's a chance."

"He _abandoned_ us!" Conner protested. "We don't need his help."

"Robin needs to see that this world is just an illusion." Kaldur replied, looking at Conner. He turned to face Wally. "If anyone can get through to him, it is you my friend. Meet us at the mountain, with or without Robin."

Wally nodded. "With any luck, Rob will be with me."

With that, Wally dashed off.

xxxx

"_M'gann, would you please stop moping?" _

M'gann was sitting in her room. Her old room. On Mars. One of her sisters, Tri'an, was standing in the doorway.

"_I shouldn't be here." _M'gann was curled up on her bed, her arms wrapped around herself. _"I should be on Earth."_

"_Earth?" _Tri'an repeated with disbelief. She walked into her sister's room, frowning with concern. _"M'gann, why should you be on Earth?"_

"I don't belong here! I never have!" M'gann shouted aloud. "I wanted to get away from Mars, to get away from everyone's dirty looks, because they know what I am-"

Another one of her sisters came in. _"What's with all the yelling? I'm trying to study!"_

"_M'gann is freaking out and thinking she needs to go to Earth."_ Tri'an replied, shrugging slightly. Her two sisters exchanged a look, then directed their gaze back to her. _"What are you that's so bad, M'gann?"_

"_I'm a white Martian! And even though I try to hide it-"_ M'gann began. But her sister cut her off.

"_A white Martian? M'gann, J'akk is the only white Martian in the family. Other than father." _Her other sister interrupted. _"And there's nothing wrong with being a white Martian! What if J'akk hears you talking that way? Or father? They already have a hard time, M'gann!"_

"_W-What?"_ M'gann looked at her skin. _"But, I…I was on Earth! I had a team! A boyfriend!"_

Her sisters exchanged another girl. Tri'an said, _"M'gann, I think you're sick. Maybe you should just rest."_

"I'm not crazy!" M'gann switched to speaking aloud once more. "I stowed away on Uncle J'onn's ship and he decided to make me his apprentice! I- I don't know what happened! I…" She stopped suddenly and remembered the night before. The fortune teller…and her wish. "Oh no…oh no oh no oh no…"

"_You definitely need to rest."_ Her sisters said, looking her over. _"We'll bring you some food soon. Ok? Just relax."_

With that the two left, murmuring quietly to each other.

"_I have to contact the team."_ M'gann told herself. _"I have to speak to Conner…"_

But did the team still exist? Did they even remember her? If her wish came true, did all the other's? She had no idea what they had wished for. The world was suddenly a very different place. It was like someone had changed the rules midway through the game. But, new playing field or not, M'gann had to try to contact her friends.

_I just hope Conner hasn't forgotten me._


	7. Abandoned

HOLY CRAP I'M ALIVE.

So sorry this update took so long. I promise there will be more to come!

* * *

"This is it."

Artemis stood with Zatanna in front of the rotting apartment building that was, apparently, her base of operations. She had no idea if her Hunters were still there. They might have moved on. Or they might be there waiting for her. Judging from what she had seen, they were very loyal to her. But loyalties could change depending on who was around.

"…could definitely use a touch-up," Zatanna said. She glanced at her friend and smiled apologetically. "But, hey, maybe you're in between evil lairs!"

"Funny." She marched forward, eager to get off the street and out of sight. This part of town was dangerous, especially when it was so close to nightfall. And Artemis wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing Batman again. For the first time in years, she feared the night. She feared the Batsignal burning in the sky. It wasn't a feeling she had missed. "I still want to know how my wish translates out to _me_ being a criminal."

"You'd have to ask the person who cast the spell," Zatanna replied as they entered the building.

Artemis growled slightly. "Oh, I intend to."

Together, they ascended the stairs. The paint was peeling off the graffitied walls. Trash – some old, some new – was littered in the stairway. The entire building seemed eerily silent. When they got to the tenth floor, the door flew open. Two hunters rushed forward with crossbows pointed at them. Upon seeing Artemis, they dropped their weapons and hugged her.

"We knew you would come back to us!" The girls seemed overjoyed. "We knew you would never abandon us!"

"I…of course I wouldn't." Artemis returned the hug tentatively, looking towards Zatanna for help. All her friend could do was shrug. "This is my friend, Zatanna."

The girls went back to attention. They narrowed their eyes critically, looking the strange girl up and down.

"Forgive me, my lady, but doesn't she run with the League?" one of the girls said, kneeling to pick up her crossbow. Her eyes never left Zatanna.

Artemis's mind raced to find an answer that the girls would accept. "She's…uh…are you questioning my authority?"

The girls drew back, their eyes wide. The one who had spoken shook her head. "No! No my lady! I…I would never. You know best. Forgive me. Please."

The reaction was immediate and startling. What troubled her most was that Artemis couldn't tell if it was driven by sheer loyalty or fear. How did she act in this life? Was she that brutal? Had she killed someone before? There was no telling. Composing herself, Artemis spoke again. "You are forgiven. Get the others. We have business to attend to."

The girls obeyed without a second thought. They beckoned for the two to follow.

Her Hunters had gathered in one of the apartments. Artemis recognized it as the one she had woken up in. Her mattress was empty, the ratty blanket folded neatly over its top. The girls looked up when she walked in. Grins spread across their faces. After the torrent of greetings died down, Artemis introduced them to Zatanna. The Hunters looked her over skeptically, but nodded in respect. Anyone who was in Artemis' good graces seemed to earn an automatic free pass. Their eyes once again turned towards her, silently asking for an explanation about the strange new visitor.

"We've got a job," Artemis began. She tried her best to sound commanding, but in her ears it sounded hesitant. "Someone has hired us to break into Mount Justice."

Murmurs broke out among the Hunters. Some had heard of Mount Justice before. Half of them looked excited about the prospect of breaking in, the other half seemed slightly fearful. But many other girls looked at each other in confusion. They hadn't delved far enough into the criminal circuit to know what Mount Justice was.

"Silence!" Artemis barked, surprising herself. The girls obeyed at once. "Mount Justice is the old base of the Justice League. It's been abandoned for years now…but there could be something our clients could use in there. So we're getting in. No matter what."

A cheer ran through the girls.

"Well they didn't take much convincing," Zatanna muttered to Artemis.

"That's what worries me," Artemis replied with a frown. "They have no idea what dangers we'll be facing. What the pay-off will be…"

"Well, to be fair," Zatanna put in, "neither do we."

xxxx

The run to Metropolis took a lot out of him. Wally was beginning to feel the effects of dashing here and there without getting much rest in between. He managed to deplete his stores of food on the run over, meaning he would have to restock in Metropolis after talking to Dick. But when he arrived at the Metropolis fairgrounds, he found that the entire area had been taped off by the police. Wally felt his heart stop. He halted in front of the police tape. What was going on? Had Dick's parents died after all?

"Back up from the tape, kid," an officer said. "We're searching this whole place from top to bottom."

"What happened?" Wally asked, half afraid of the answer.

"Some of the performers were attacked the night before last. Two of them were kidnapped. There's an Amber Alert out for them now." The officer answered. "Now step back, please."

Wally ignored his orders. "Kidnapped? Who were they?"

"The acrobat kids. One's thirteen, the other's eighteen." The officer answered.

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh nononono._ "Who were they attacked by?"

"The parents didn't get a good look at them. Now move along, kid." The officer's stern tone told Wally he wasn't getting any more information. Feeling cold all over, the young speedster began to walk away.

When he was no longer in danger of being overhead, Wally turned on his communicator. "Kaldur. We have a problem. A big, big problem."

"What has happened?" Kaldur asked, his concern evident.

"Robin was kidnapped. No one knows where he is, they've got an Amber Alert out for him and _everything_." This had to be part of the illusion. Or pocket dimension. Or whatever it was. "What do we do?"

Kaldur was silent on the other end. Wally was bouncing on his heels impatiently, waiting for a decision to be made. This wasn't part of the plan. What if Dick was hurt? Or worse, _dead_? Why had they been attacked in the first place? Were the kidnappers wanting ransom? Didtheyplanonsellingthemorki llingor-?

_Slow it down, Wally, slow it down!_ Wally's thoughts were racing. His best friend was in possible mortal danger, and he had no idea what to do about it. Had Kaldur answered yet? "Kal?"

With a sigh, Kaldur spoke. "Find out what you can. We will continue with the operation as planned without you. Be careful my friend."

"Youtoo." Wally ended the communication quickly, and dashed off towards the police station. His best shot at finding Dick would be to talk to Dick's family. They would probably still be in custody. When kids went mission, the police questioned the family first. After they were cleared of suspicion they would have to tell their story over and over again. Every detail counted. But Wally knew the clock was ticking. If Dick and his cousin had gone missing the night before last, it was already nearing the 48 hour mark. And, usually, kids weren't seen again after they'd been gone for two days.

The station was humming with activity. It was surprisingly (almost alarmingly so) easy to slip into the back. He found Dick's family sitting alone in the hallway, talking quietly to themselves.

"…I don't think he believed us," Dick's mother was saying.

"I hope he doesn't. We should go to jail for what we did," his aunt replied, her head in her hands.

At this point Wally pressed his back against the wall, standing just around the corner from the family.

"What choice did we have?" his uncle asked. "We can't stand up against the Court, Karla."

"They're our children, Rick!" Karla cried, almost hysterical. Dick's mother wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. She dissolved into heaving sobs. "My little boy…my poor little John…"

The family fell silent, save for the loud sobs of Karla Grayson. The commissioner emerged his office and ushered the family in to speak with them. Wally stayed in place, his heart beating rapidly. He tried not to jump to conclusions. But just going off of what he had heard, the evidence was stacked against Dick's family. Did they have some involvement? Who was the Court? Another word for the mob? The mafia?

_Why can't these things ever be simple? _Wally asked himself and ran his hands through his hair.

xxxx

Conner stood with Kaldur in front of the entrance. It was strange, seeing the mountain in disuse. The grass was overgrown. The area around was oddly silent. It felt eerie. The mountain was the only home he had ever known, other than Cadmus. Seeing it abandoned brought about a strange feeling. Like time had gone forwards or backwards, while Conner remained ageless.

"Where is Wally?" Conner asked, crossing his arms.

"He was detained in Metropolis," Kaldur replied with a frown. "It seems that Robin has gone missing."

"Missing?" Conner repeated. Before he could get any more information out of him, Kaldur turned away. He watched him press two fingers to his ear as someone spoke over the communicator.

"Good. Their willingness to follow you works in our favor. Get here as quickly as you can. Time is of the essence," Kaldur said. "Be careful, my friend." With that, he lowered his hand. "Artemis and Zatanna are on their way with the Hunters. If all goes well, we could have contact with M'gann by tonight."

Conner looked at him hopefully. Talking to M'gann…that was all he wanted. He needed to hear her voice, see her smile, know that she was ok in this twisted world. The rest of the team was safe, which meant he could focus on her. (Well, Robin was missing…but his anger at him lessened his sympathy considerably. He could get himself out of that mess.) Was she miserable back on Mars? Conner had a guess as to what changed when she made her wish. Would that truly make her happy? Would she be like Robin, deciding to embrace her new life?

These thoughts weighed heavy on Conner's mind. Perhaps if he had just told her before…that he knew, that he didn't care, that she was beautiful to him no matter what. Perhaps this wouldn't happen. Perhaps he wouldn't be on the verge of losing her.

"Something is troubling you." Kaldur said, interrupting these thoughts. "Are you worried about M'gann?"

"I'm worried about a lot of things," Conner answered with a frown, "but M'gann is definitely one of them."

Kaldur set a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We will make contact with her, one way or another my friend. And then we will fix this. Somehow."

"…you do want to fix this, don't you?" Conner asked, giving Kaldur a suspicious sideways glance. He had no idea what Kaldur had wished for that caused him to end up in Atlantis, or if he liked the change. "You don't like this better?"

Kaldur was silent, looking at the abandoned mountain. "That is not an easy question to answer. My heart prefers this world. My mind, however, tells me it is wrong. If these things were meant to happen, they would happen on their own."

Conner nodded. Neither of them spoke again until Artemis and Zatanna arrived.


End file.
